Algeria
* |demonym= Algerian |currency= Algerian dinar |estab1name= Independence recognized |estab1time= July 3, 1962 |estab2name= Independence declared |estab2time= July 5, 1962 |GDP-PPP-total= $263.661 billion (2011) |GDP-PPP-pc= $7,333 (2011) |GDP-nomin-total= $190.709 billion (2011) |GDP-nomin-pc= $5,304 (2011) }} The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria ( : الجمهورية الجزائرية الديمقراطية الشعبية, Al-Jumhūriyyah Al-Jazāʾiriyyah Ad-Dīmuqrāṭiyyah Ash-Shaʿbiyyah), or simply Algeria (Arabic: الجزائر‎, al-Jazā'ir; : Dzayer) is a country located in the region of Africa. It is bordered by Morocco and Western Sahara to the west, Mali and Mauritania to the southwest, Niger to the southeast, and Libya and Tunisia to the east. Etymology The country's name is derived from the city of Algiers, which was established in 944. The most common etymology links the city name of Algiers to al-Jazā'ir (الجزائر, "The Islands"), a shortened form of the city's older name Jazā'ir Banī Mazghanna (جزائر بني مزغنة, "Islands of the Mazghanna Tribe"), which was used by medieval Egyptian and other individuals from the same time period. Others claim that the name was derived from Ldzayer, the and word for "Algeria" possibly related to the Zirid Dynasty or his son , who founded the city of Algiers. History to Algeria.}} The lands of Algeria have been populated as early as 10,000 BC, during times. The many different groups of people in Northern Africa eventually coalesced into a distinct native population, which became known as . Since 4000 BC they were pushed away from the coasts by waves of Phoenician, Roman, Vandal, Byzantine, , Turkish, and French invaders. Phoenician traders arrived on the North African coast around 900 BC and Carthage (in modern-day Tunisia) in 800 BC. From Carthage, the Carthaginians expanded and established settlements along the North African coast, including lands located within modern-day Algeria. Eventually, the Berber people rebelled and managed to obtain control of much of Carthaginian territory, and by 146 BC, Carthage fell to the Roman Republic. As Carthaginian power waned, the influence of the Berber people in the neighboring lands grew. By the 2nd century BC, several large but loosely administered Berber nations emerged in Algeria. After that, managed to unify Numidia during his regency. Berber territory was eventually annexed to the Roman Republic during 24 AD, and remained in possession of Rome for two centuries. When Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate arrived in Algeria during the mid-7th century, a large number of the local Berbers converted to the new faith. Following the fall of the Umayyads in 751, numerous local Berber dynasties, including the Aghlabids, Almohads, Zayyanids, Zirids, Rustamids, Hammadids, Almoravids, Fatimids, and Hafsids emerged. Several towns and outposts on the Algerian coast became conquered and occupied by the Spanish Empire during the early 16th century. The leaders of the city of Algiers sought aid from the and . In 1516, Reis conquered Algiers with support from 1300 Turkish soldiers and became its ruler, with the city joining the Ottoman Empire. Algeria remained an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire until the French invaded Algiers in 1830 and successfully annexed it to the . The country then remained a of France until it was declared independent on July 5, 1962. Economy .]] The export of such as and accounts for roughly 60 percent of Algeria's budget revenues, 30 percent of GDP, and over 95 percent of export earnings. The country ranks 14th in petroleum reserves, containing about 11.8 billion barrels of proven , and it is estimated that the actual amount is even greater. The U.S. reported that Algeria had 160 trillion cubic feet of proven in 2005, the tenth largest in the world. Between 2003 and 2007, average annual non hydrocarbon GDP growth averaged 6 percent, growing at an average of 4.5 percent during the same period. Algeria's external debt has been nearly eliminated, and the government has amassed large savings in its oil-stabilization fund. Inflation, the lowest in the region, remained stable at 4 percent on average between 2003 and 2007. Algeria's financial and economic indicators improved during the mid-1990s, partly due to policy reforms supported by the International Monetary Fund and debt rescheduling from the Paris Club. The country's finances benefited from an increase in oil prices and the government's strict fiscal policy in 2000 and 2001, which lead to a large increase in trade surplus and reduction in foreign debt. The government has continued efforts to diversify the economy by attracting foreign and domestic investment outside of the energy sector has had little effect in reducing high unemployment and improving living standards. In 2001, the Algerian government signed an Association Treaty with the European Union that will eventually lower tariffs and increase trade. Russia agreed to erase roughly $4.74 billion of Algeria's Soviet-era debt during a visit by to the country in 2006, and in return, agreed to purchase $7.5 billion worth of combat planes, air-defense systems, and other arms from Russia. Also in 2006, Algeria decided to pay off its full $8 billion debt to the Paris Club before schedule. This would reduce Algeria's foreign debt to less than $5 billion by the end of 2006. Algeria announced a budgetary surplus of $26.93 million in 2011, a 62.46 percent increase in comparison to the surplus of the previous year. In general, the country exported $73.39 billion worth of commodities while it imported $46.45 billion. Numismatic history The first coins issued in Algeria were likely brought over by the Phoenicians during their settlement of the Mediterranean coast. Numidian and Mauretanian coins were likely the first to be struck in Algeria. Following the collapse of these local dynasties, coins of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire were issued for the next 400 years. Byzantine and Vandal coins then began circulating in Algeria following the disestablishment of the Roman Empire. The Umayyads eventually took control of much of the Byzantine and Vandal possessions along the northern coast of Africa, and in the process introduced their currency. Later, under the Abbasids, the Aghlabids ruled portions of modern-day Algeria for a short period of time and introduced a new currency system. Later, Almoravid, Almohad, Zayyanid, Zirid, Hammadid, Fatimid, and Hafsid coins were issued in Algeria during the reign of each respective dynasty. When Algeria became a province of the Ottoman Empire in 1536, the budju became the primary unit of account, though Spanish and Portuguese coins continued to circulate. This currency was replaced by the French franc and Algerian franc following the successful French invasion of Algeria in 1830. Two years after being declared independent, Algeria introduced the dinar, the country's current currency, which officially replaced the franch in 1964. }} See also *French Algeria *Oran *Ottoman Algeria References * * *NumisMaster Category:African countries Category:Algeria Category:Countries Category:Member states of the African Union